Mass grave Yazidi victims uncovered in Sinjar

Shafaq News – Nineveh

A new mass grave believed to contain Yazidi victims executed by ISIS during its 2014 assault on Sinjar was discovered on Friday, local official said.

Jalal Khallo, head of Sinjar district administration, reported that a bulldozer operator uncovered human remains while working in the area. An identity card found at the site belonged to Sidou Abbas from the Siba Sheikh Khidir.

“Additional remains are thought to be buried at the location.”

Security forces quickly cordoned off the site and erected fencing as they await forensic teams to begin exhumation and DNA testing in cooperation with Iraq’s Mass Graves Directorate.

The discovery follows ongoing efforts to locate and identify victims of ISIS atrocities in Sinjar. By early August 2025, teams had exhumed 68 of 162 known burial sites in the district, confirming 293 identities, while more than 450 remains remain unidentified. Nearly 2,900 Yazidis are still listed as missing.

Official figures show that 762 Yazidi remains have been unearthed in Sinjar this year, with 298 identified through DNA analysis and returned to their families.